Arming Gardai to deal with protests obviously is attacking the symptom rather than the cause. I don't think there is any suggestion of arming Gardai with fire arms? This would be a tactic out of a defunct eastern block country rather than a democracy.

Gardai are also considering assigning armed officers to ministers as water protests become increasingly hostile.

A beefing up of protection measures for Government members was ordered after Tanaiste Joan Burton was trapped by protesters, in an incident which Taoiseach Enda Kenny says amounted "almost to kidnapping".

Several garda units, including the Crime and Security branch and anti-terrorist Special Detective Unit, are also involved in compiling intelligence on "rogue" protesters.

Security at the private homes of senior Government personnel is also likely to be re-assessed by local garda management as the protesters, including criminals and Republican sympathisers, appear intent on increasing their campaign of intimidation and threats.

Officers will also examine all footage from the protest which was uploaded to the internet. It is understood that some of the protesters may face charges under public order and offences against the person legislation.

It looks like now FG/LAB are going to turn the Gards loose on the protesters. Threats of more taxes, garnishment of wages via revenue/welfare, and bad credit ratings did not work, so now they are going to brand us all as criminals and try to jail us, or shoot us depending on how much of a 'threat' we pose to their plans in regards to taxation.

Elected representatives are accusing protesters of having 'no respect for democracy' & 'no regard for the safety of women & children' and the media outlet (in this case The Irish Times) slavishly follows this line & publishes the story as slanted by the political classes with no dissenting comment ...lest we forget An Taoiseach promised repeatedly efore the election that there would be a 'new politics' ...things would be done differently ...yet we have seen NO SIGN of this indeed the present government have been as craven as their predecessors, FG also promised to abolish the prescription charge ...don't hold your breath ....An Tanaiste belongs to the party which promised to remove student fees, or at the very least freeze them, not to cut Social Welfare and make sure the banks shared some of the 'pain' ...NONE of these promises have been kept yet the well paid & well pensioned politicos & their media mates continue to preach about democratic values ...who has demonstrated the most contempt for the democratic process? Whose behaviour has displayed the most cynicism? A media which holds the political classes to account is one of the bedrocks of a healthy & functional Western democracy (or so we are told) where are our democratic media inquisitors? Who has demonstrated their regard for democracy in the Irish media?

My next proposal is that anyone who steps outside the boundaries of peaceful protest should have all personal insurance cover removed.

To whom are you putting this proposal, a hall full of tipsy pixies? Keep ladling out the ale and they'll be full on for world domination and will urge that you lead them out into the cold to put your masterful plan into action. As soon as you've crossed the threshold they'll be locking the door and finishing the beer. Clever chaps the little folk!

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